Inauguration 2013: 'a time to mourn'

By Angela Wittman

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn...Scripture from Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3 (KJV)

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. ~ Declaration of Independence

While the wicked danced in the streets of our nation's capitol and celebrated the inauguration of our 44th President yesterday, the righteous in America mourned.

We mourned because the very things that made our nation great among others has been mocked and disregarded as worthless old rags good for nothing but to be tossed on a dung heap and burned. What are these things that once made America shine as a city on a hill? They are the God-given inalienable rights our Founding Fathers pledged their lives and sacred honor to protect, establish and pass on to future generations: Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

"It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. (Applause.) Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law –- (applause) — for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. (Applause.) Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. (Applause.) Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity — (applause) — until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country. (Applause.) Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia, to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for and cherished and always safe from harm.

"That is our generation’s task — to make these words, these rights, these values of life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness real for every American. Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life. It does not mean we all define liberty in exactly the same way or follow the same precise path to happiness. Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time, but it does require us to act in our time. (Applause.)

"For now decisions are upon us and we cannot afford delay. We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate. (Applause.) We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect. We must act, knowing that today’s victories will be only partial and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years and 40 years and 400 years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare Philadelphia hall.

"My fellow Americans, the oath I have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this Capitol, was an oath to God and country, not party or faction. And we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service. But the words I spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty or an immigrant realizes her dream. My oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride.

"They are the words of citizens and they represent our greatest hope. You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country’s course. You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time — not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals. (Applause.)

"Let us, each of us, now embrace with solemn duty and awesome joy what is our lasting birthright. With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom.

Those who are ignorant of our nation's founding might think that what the President is calling for is a movement toward righteousness, but if one reads our national founding documents in context and in the light of a Biblical worldview which was prevalent at the time they were written, we will see that our President is not calling upon the Sovereign God of the Bible as many of the Founders did, but instead is seeking the blessing of an imaginary god who has no absolutes or standards for governing the nations. There is no reference to the Ten Commandments in his speech, nor does he cry out to God for forgiveness for the millions of preborn children slaughtered on his watch. There is no spirit of meekness or humbleness evident in this speech, but instead it's one of prideful, self-arrogance which God hates.

Our president has disregarded the clear teachings of Scripture for the lies of the wicked one who seeks to kill and destroy. Instead of loving his preborn neighbors, he has sold his soul to the bloody abortionists who have poured millions of dollars of blood money into his campaigns. Instead of warning his constituents that immoral behavior destroys both body and soul, he seeks to make them more miserable in their sin by deceiving them into thinking there is no judgment or consequence for degrading and abusing one's body.

So, dear friends, while I mourn for our nation, I can still have hope, faith and trust in our Sovereign King, the Lord Jesus Christ, who said in His famous speech, The Sermon on the Mount:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.